The Intricate One Dollar Bill Collages of Mark Wagner

From book making and writing to drawing and assemblage, Mark Wagner has certainly diversified his talents. It is his collage work, however, that Wagner is especially known for. For these intricate collage pieces, Wagner generally works with one dollar bills. He seems to look at the fundamental nature of collage by using the currency. Rarely does a single material carry so much subtext and implicit meaning. In his statement, Wagner says about using the bills, “The one dollar bill is the most ubiquitous piece of paper in America. Collage asks the question: what might be done to make it something else? It is a ripe material: intaglio printed on sturdy linen stock, covered in decorative filigree, and steeped in symbolism and concept.”